Bloody Odyssey

Chapter 71: Mysterious Woman

In the outside world, the team stood frozen, watching the holographic feed with dim, hollow expressions. The silence in the room felt heavier than the battle unfolding before them. Mimi finally broke it. She stepped toward one of the hovering bots, her voice sharp but tightly controlled.

"Why don't you help him? Isn't he your creator or something?"

Rage simmered beneath her words, but she clung to her rationality with iron composure. The bot simply hovered, silent and unresponsive—no beep, no flicker, nothing. Dejected, Mimi turned away and rejoined the others. She said nothing more. None of them did. They just watched.

"Onerous, calm down."

Dax's voice came out hollow but gentle. That was when she noticed—he was still pouring energy into the Rage Cocoon, even as white flames ate at his body. The spear remained lodged in his chest, burning deeper.

What is Master doing? Inerous thought. I sense his traits… struggling to devour the energy in this spear.

Could it be he's purposely pushing the limits of his body?

Dax's bones lay exposed—black with faint red markings pulsing across them like veins of magma. Surprisingly, his organs remained intact, except one: his heart, locked in an eternal state of swallowing, devouring the holy flame even as it tried to consume him.

In that moment the cocoon cracked open with a sharp burst. Crimson dust exploded outward, revealing the figure of a woman inside.

Her hair was pitch black, cascading like liquid night. Her eyes were empty voids at first—then they sharpened. A wicked, sultry laugh escaped her lips.

"Such a way to be reborn," she purred, voice extremely seductive.

With graceful ease, her glossy black hair fell around her shoulders. She turned toward Dax. Her face grew somber, almost tender.

"My love."

She moved like the wind, gliding to him. Her fingers brushed his burning skull. She leaned in and kissed his exposed teeth—completely ignoring Ryker, as if the fallen angel didn't exist.

"You are more beautiful than the day you killed me."

She turned her gaze toward Ryker. Her black eyes flashed white for a moment, revealing beautiful brown pupils beneath.

"Vile bitch… don't worry. I will kill you with him."

She asked Ryker—who still stood perched on the spear—"I guess it's you who put my sweetheart in this state?"

With effortless strength, she pulled the Longinus Spear from Dax's chest.

"That little thing will not kill him."

She hurled the spear back at Ryker like it weighed nothing.

Three shadowy hands stretched from her back, mimicking the other half of angelic wings. In one hand she held the mirror—but now it was smaller, more compact, pulsing with dark energy.

She squeezed it gently. "How long has it been? How long have I been trapped with those vengeful spirits?"

Placing the mirror before herself, her lips parted. "This artifact belonged to someone you loved."

A beautiful, cruel smile spread across her face.

She closed her eyes, as if inheriting memories or power.

"Oh… I see?" She giggled softly. "You came for a follower of my man. Without a clue of what he could do, you provoked him."

"Good. Very good."

Ryker was astonished. The woman before him emulated his sister's very essence—her grace, her voice—but something deeper was sinister, twisted, wrong.

She tapped the mirror. In an instant, blood and bones blasted outward from its surface, washing away the creatures that had been worshiping Ryker moments earlier.

"Who are you?" Ryker demanded, tone commanding and cold.

In that moment he heard soft footsteps—but not from the mysterious lady. Dax was on his feet.

With each step, regenerated flesh crawled over exposed bone. His body jolted violently, blood splattering the floor in dark arcs. Holding Cil tightly, he raised his hand with clear purpose.

"Daxy…" The woman stretched her arms toward him, ignoring the intensity of battle entirely.

This one has a loose screw, Ryker thought. But he saw an opportunity in the chaos.

He clenched his spear, pointing it at them. Dax wasn't motionless—he swung Cil in a wide arc, cutting toward the mysterious lady.

Her face flushed deep red with fury.

At the center, the mysterious beauty was about to bear the full brunt of their combined attack. Feeling the dangerous force from Dax's strike, she dodged—distance meaning nothing to her.

My World Ki has been depleted drastically, Dax realized, mind clouded by pain and hunger.

They are working on a lot of things at once, Master, Inerous's voice echoed in the depths of his soul.

But Dax gave no answer. His scientific subconscious had taken over—cold, calculating, relentless.

Dax moved his sword in a beheading motion. In that instant, he was stabbed through again by the Longinus Spear.

But this time it was his choice.

His body burst with insane energy. Flesh regenerated at impossible speed. He gripped the spear tightly, refusing to let go.

Dax's burned-off eyelids regenerated, sealing over his weird, glowing eyes. His hair flowed outward like a dark river.

Ryker pulled—but couldn't free the Longinus.

Death washed over Dax like a baptism. He released the spear and drew his fist back like lightning.

Boom! "Blitz King!"

He roared, punching the spear in an attempt to drive it deeper into himself.

A soft white ripple traveled through Dax's body, burning him from the depths of his soul.

"Angel Code 49. Blind Purification."

This attack would surely destroy his soul. A giant statue manifested behind Ryker, hugging its chest. Gentle light stretched from its being.

"You are the emulation of the devil… and this is the emulation of the light that vanquished it."

The mysterious woman stayed silent. That guy is very strong. If not for this body, I wouldn't have been able to sense it.

Darling doesn't have mana… this mana is very versatile. Is darling at a disadvantage?

In her mind, thousands of spells flashed through her thoughts in an instant.

In that moment the light poured forward, touching Dax's soul.

The spear in his chest exploded—snapping in two, instantly losing its glow.

Ryker's eyes widened in utter shock. With trembling hands he picked up the broken blade.

"It's broken… No—this must be a joke."

He couldn't accept reality. This didn't look like reality.

Dax—still holding Cil—was soaked by an intense wave of killing intent.

"Killer Series: Fourth Form—Killing Water."

Dax cut, slicing Ryker's arm clean off.

Like a blink, he dodged. Suddenly the space Ryker stood in was swallowed up, revealing the endless expanse of the Infinitum.

"How… how can that blade damage my soul?" Ryker gritted his teeth in pain.

"I won't let you."

He stretched his arms apart, pouring all his remaining energy into the statue. With incredible speed it shot upward—hundreds of feet high.

Blasting light down onto Dax.

In that moment Dax's silver halo vanished—tripling his devouring force instantly.

Dax's body sounded like the endless vacuum of space—sucking in everything.

He stretched his blade to the side. The crimson edge turned pitch black in a blink.

In this moment Dax moved with astonishing perfection, cutting at Ryker once again.

He is different, the woman behind thought. She didn't let her sight leave Dax. It's truly fascinating—his disturbing growth.

Dax threw his blade at Cil. Just when it was inches away, he stabbed into Ryker's shoulder.

Ryker gritted his teeth in pain. Suddenly Dax appeared on him—biting into his flesh.

In the distance the mysterious lady smiled in pure ecstasy. This is the Dax I fell in love with… my love whose hunger touched the stars.

Ryker was in agonizing pain—but Dax didn't stop. As he ate his flesh, he punched and stabbed. With his palm he ripped out organs—but as he devoured, the flesh regenerated almost instantaneously.

Dax stabbed into Ryker's core.

The moment his hand made contact, its energy was devoured crazily.

A smile appeared on Dax's blood-soaked face—a demonic smile etched on his lips. He retracted himself with joy.

"Let me show you the power that can kill an immortal soul."